Petorca Opitz, 2019

Opitz, Weston, 2019, Classification, Natural History, and Evolution of the Subfamily Peloniinae (Coleoptera: Cleroidea: Cleridae). Part XIV. Taxonomy of the South American Genera Corinthiscus Fairmaire and Germain, Morulaptoma Opitz, New Genus, and Petorca Opitz, New Genus, The Coleopterists Bulletin 73 (2), pp. 329-342 : 338

Petorca Opitz , new genus

Zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:1AC0EFFE-F0DA-461F-8417-CF10CA9AB15E

Type Species. Clerus denticollis Spinola, 1849 . By present designation.

Diagnosis. The short antennal capitulum will distinguish the members of this genus from those of its sister genus Corinthiscus (compare Figs. 1 and 4 ). The presence of denticles on the ungues will distinguish the members of this genus from superficially similar species of Morulaptoma .

Apotypic Characteristic. Phallic plates wide; phallobasic rod absent.

Description. Size: Length 4.0 mm; width 1.2 mm. Form: Oblong, rectangular, about 3.5 times longer than broad ( Fig. 27 ). Vestiture: Dorsum vested with long, dark setae; antenna moderately setose; elytra vested with 1° and 2° setae. Head: Cranium subquadrate; frons about twice wider than width of eye, with setiferous punctures; labrum shallow, broadly incised distally; mandible stout, anterior dens acuminate, medial and posterior dens well-developed; maxilla with laterolacinia present, terminal palpomere securiform; labium with ligula deeply incised, terminal palpomere securiform; eyes small, coarsely facetted, ocular notch moderate size; antenna ( Fig. 4 ) comprised of 11 antennomeres, capitate, capitulum short. Thorax: Pronotum oblong ( Fig. 8 ), anterior limit of dorsolateral carina ending at pronotal tubercle, disc convex, sides carinate, lateral tubercles subacuminate; prointercoxal process not expanded distally, pronotal projections short, acuminate, not approximating prointercoxal process; elytra sculptured with basal umbo, asetiferous punctures coarsely sculpturing anterior half, punctures ending at middle of elytra, epipleural fold narrow and tapered to elytral apex, anterior margin of elytra not carinate; legs, profemora swollen, anterior margin without spines, tibial spur formula 1-2-1, tarsal pulvillar formula 3-3-2, unguis with basal denticle. Abdomen: Aedeagus shorter than abdomen, distal region of phallobase lobed, phallobasic lobes highly fimbriate, tegmen very reduced, submembranous, phallobasic struts not confluent with phallobasic apodeme, phallobasic rod absent, phallic plates very broad; spicular plates slightly flared, spicular apodemes not fused, intraspicular plate oblong-linear.

Distribution. This South American genus is present in Chile ( Fig. 23 ).

Etymology. Petorca is a geographical noun that refers to a collection site, in Chile, from which specimens of this species were collected. The gender is feminine.

Figures

Figs. 1–12. Morphological structures. Male antenna: 1) Corinthiscus insignicornis; 2) Morulaptoma canuta; 3) Morulaptoma nigra; 4) Petorca denticolla. Pronotum 5) C. insignicornis; 6) M. canuta; 7) M. nigra; 8) P. denticolla. Elytron. 9) C. insignicornis; 10) P. denticolla; 11) M. canuta; 12) M. nigra.

Figs. 24–27. Habitus. 24) Corinthiscus insignicornis (magnification 19X); 25) Morulaptoma nigra (magnification

Fig. 23. Known geographical distribution of Corinthiscus, Morulaptoma, and Petorca species.